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Betting rules need to be changed to prevent match fixing say deputies

16/05/12
 TO eliminate match fixing, Cypriot teams may need to be eliminated from sports betting, head of the House Education Committee Nicos Tornaritis said yesterday. “I think we need to take drastic measures. Half-measures will do no good,” Tornaritis said.According to the police, most bets in which Cypriot teams are included are placed outside the jurisdiction of the republic of Cyprus. On the basis of that, football clubs suggested that Cypriot teams are excluded from all bets so as to stop match fixing (which are motivated by proceeds from bets), a suggestion “the police fully agreed with,” Tornaritis said.Asked how this would impact illegal betting which also drives match fixing, Tornaritis said it would be a start... Read on

AEL celebration marred by vandalism

By Jacqueline Agathocleous 08/05/12
LIMASSOL town was buzzing throughout the weekend, after its local football club AEL became league champions for the first time in 44 years.The streets were alight with flares, people were hanging out of moving cars waving flags and jubilant fans were shouting chants and singing songs – but sadly it didn’t end there, with countless incidents of vandalism and a lack of police presence reported.AEL beat Anorthosis Famagusta on Saturday, which coupled with APOEL’s defeat to AC Omonia, made the Limassol team’s championship victory a mathematical certainty. They will officially be crowned champions this Saturday, after they play against AC Omonia... 19 comments

More drama and chaos as Juventus claim title

By Brian Homewood 07/05/12
Juventus clinched their first Italian title for nine seasons on Sunday but not until Serie A had dished up its customary climactic mix of chaos, drama and controversy.Unbeaten Juventus comfortably dispatched Cagliari 2-0 in a match which the Sardinians hosted in Trieste - closer to Zagreb than their own island base - and featured a last minute change in kickoff times.The title was assured when AC Milan, the only team who could catch them, lost 4-2 to bitter rivals Inter in a match which featured three penalties, a hat-trick for Diego Milito, two goals for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and yet another ghost goal... Read on

AEL end their 43-year wait for championship title

By Nemanja Bjedov 05/05/12
 Luciano Bebe’s goal 15 minutes from time helped AEL beat Anorthosis 1-0, capturing the national championship title after a 43-year-long drought at the Tsirion Stadium in Limassol on Saturday.Anorthosis started the game brightly, with experienced striker Yiannis Okkas missing two quality chances early on. The home side responded by hitting the bar and the post in the same minute, when first Gilberto’s powerful strike from the distance hit the bar in 18th minute and then Chris Dickson hit Matus Kozacik’s post after a placed shot from inside the area. The visitors reclaimed the initiative towards the end of the first half and both Okkas and Vincent Laban were denied by the excellent Matias Degra in AEL’s goal... 1 comment

UK team says Ayia Napa Soccer Festival organisers upset their children

By Poly Pantelides 11/04/12
A BRITISH football academy has said it will report the organisers of the Ayia Napa Youth Soccer Festival to UEFA after their team was disqualified following a quarter-finals victory.The organisers “threw us out of the tournament without any explanation, just stating we were asking too many questions,” 47-year-old commercial director Clive Lewis told the Cyprus Mail.Lewis’ 10-year-old son, Magnus, was not actually in the team that was disqualified but he, along with all 22 families who came over especially, was “very, very upset,” Lewis said... 16 comments

CFA dishes out series of fines

By Jacqueline Agathocleous 06/04/12
NICOSIA rival football teams AC Omonia and APOEL have been penalised by the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) for violent clashes between thier respective fans last month.Omonia’s punishment is to play two matches behind closed doors and APOEL’s one, plus undisclosed fines.The charges included, among others, violence, transportation of dangerous objects to the stadium and offensive chanting.“The CSA’s judicial committee imposed the penalty of two games behind closed doors for Omonia, for complaints made involving a game with APOEL on March 23,” the association announced... 1 comment

APOEL aim to end fairy-tale with heads held high

By Nassos Stylianou 03/04/12
APOEL will face nine-time European champions Real Madrid with immense pride tomorrow night, as their remarkable 16-match Champions League campaign is set to come to a close at the Bernabeu. APOEL’s resistance in the first leg of the quarter-final in Nicosia last week lasted more than 70 minutes and at one stage it even looked like the competition surprise package might go to Madrid still in with a chance, however Ivan Jovanovic’s side have an insurmountable task as they trail 3-0 from the first leg thanks to a late flurry from the Spanish giants... Read on

Late strikes sink APOEL hopes

28/03/12
 Substitute Kaka sparkled and Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid finally broke down underdogs APOEL in Nicosia last night, winning the Champions League quarter final first leg 3-0.The Brazil international was introduced in the 63rd minute and set up Benzema for a 74th-minute opener before tucking away fellow sub Marcelo's excellent cutback eight minutes later.France striker Benzema's second gave the scoreline an emphatic look despite a mighty defensive effort by APOEL, whose giant-killing run has accounted for Lyon, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk but who were outclassed last night... 5 comments

15 football hooligans charged and released

By Jacqueline Agathocleous 27/03/12
 POLICE have arrested 15 football fans in connection with violence that broke out after a match between the youth teams of Nicosia rivals APOEL and Omonia on Sunday.The clashes resulted in five policemen being injured and hospitalised.The incidents came just two days after the two teams met in the championship on Friday, which again resulted in profound violence, when two Omonia fans were attacked in their car at GSP Stadium’s roundabout and almost set alight, when two APOEL fans on motorbikes threw a flare in the car window. This was after the car was completely smashed up with crowbars and bats... 5 comments

Search continues for motorbike hooligans

25/03/12
POLICE yesterday continued their search for a group of bikers who set alight the car of two Omonia fans after the end of a football match between APOEL and Omonia at the GSP stadium in Nicosia on Friday evening.“We have taken testimonies but have not yet discovered the culprits,” the police said.A group of APOEL fans left the stadium on their motorbikes and at the Nicosia-Limassol roundabout intercepted a car with two Omonia supporters, a 25-year-old driver and his passenger, 22.The bikers “attacked with bats, crowbars and knives, breaking the vehicle’s windows and then throwing a flare at the back of the car,” the police said.Other APOEL supporters helped the two Omonia fans out of the burning car... 3 comments
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